Construction machine

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a construction machine adopting a structure that assures a predetermined sound pressure level along a forward direction relative to the construction machine and allows a warning horn to be miniaturized. Warning horns  12  and  13  are mounted in the vicinity of at least either a left headlamp  9  or a right headlamp  10  provided on the left side and the right side of a vehicle body  3  of the construction machine. The warning horns  12  and  13  are housed inside a bracket  11  used to mount the headlamp  9  or  10 . The plurality of warning horns  12  and  13  are disposed on a single side toward the left headlamp  9  or the right headlamp  10 . Since a front attachment  7  does not block the sound generated from the warning horns  12  and  13  and thus the warning sound can travel without hindrance along the forward direction, a predetermined sound pressure level is achieved with ease along the forward direction relative to the vehicle body  3.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a construction machine such as ahydraulic excavator, a crane or a support machine thereof, and morespecifically, it relates to a mounting structure that may be adoptedwhen mounting a warning horn on the construction machine.

BACKGROUND ART

A warning horn that is used to issue a warning for the drivers of othervehicles and pedestrians while a construction machine such as ahydraulic excavator or a loader shovel is traveling, is mounted at thebase of the front attachment located at the center of the vehicle bodyin the related art, as disclosed in Japanese Laid Open PatentPublication No. H8-284195.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The construction machine in the related art having the warning hornmounted at the base of the front attachment thereof, as described above,has a problem to be addressed in that the front attachment blocking thepropagation of the warning sound at the front of the machine lowers thelevel of the sound pressure at the front of the construction machine,posing a safety risk. In addition, a larger warning horn may need to beused or a greater number of warning horns may have to be mounted inorder to assure a desired sound pressure level.

An object of the present invention, which has been completed byaddressing the problem discussed above, is to provide a constructionmachine adopting a structure that assures a specific sound pressurelevel at the front of the construction machine and allows the warninghorn to be miniaturized.

(1) The construction machine according to the present invention ischaracterized in that it includes a warning horn mounted in the vicinityof at least one of the headlamps provided on the left side and the rightside of the vehicle body of the construction machine.

(2) The construction machine according to the present invention is alsocharacterized in that the warning horn is housed inside a bracket usedto mount the headlamp at the construction machine described in (1)above.

(3) The construction machine according to the present invention isfurther characterized in that a plurality of warning horns are disposedon a side on which either the left headlamp or the right headlamp islocated at the construction machine described in (1) or (2) above.

Since a warning horn is mounted in the vicinity of the left or rightheadlamp at the vehicle body, the warning sound from the warning horn ispropagated forward without being blocked by the front attachment mountedat the center of the vehicle body to assure a higher sound pressurelevel at the front of the construction machine, thereby improving thesafety of operations. In addition, a predetermined sound level can beachieved with greater ease along the forward direction relative to thevehicle body even with a compact warning horn. By housing the warninghorn inside the bracket used to mount the headlamp, the need for a case,which would otherwise be required in order to protect the warning hornfrom the elements, is eliminated. Furthermore, if a plurality of warninghorns are mounted on one side on which either the left headlamp or theright headlamp is located, the secondary battery provided at the vehiclebody and the warning horns can be connected through wiring contained onone side, which means that the wiring work is facilitated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side elevation of the construction machine achieved in anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a front view of the construction machine in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is an enlargement of an essential portion of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2A is a side elevation of the construction machine achieved inanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a front view of the construction machine in FIG. 2A; and

FIG. 2C is an enlargement of an essential portion of FIG. 2B.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1A to 1C show the construction machine achieved in an embodimentof the present invention. FIGS. 1A and 1B are respectively a sideelevation and a front view of the construction machine, whereas FIG. 1Cis an enlargement of an essential portion of FIG. 1B. This embodiment isachieved by adopting the present invention in a wheel hydraulicexcavator having a revolving superstructure (body) 3 mounted atop awheel traveling superstructure 1 via a revolver device 2, a hydraulicpower unit 4, an operator's cab 5, a counterweight 6 and the likemounted on the revolving superstructure 3 and a front attachment 7mounted at the revolving superstructure 3 so as to project out forward.The front attachment 7 is constituted with an articulated arm 7 a and abucket 7 b.

Headlamps 9 and 10 are mounted at positions toward the two sides at thefront of the revolving superstructure 3. In the vicinity of either theleft headlamp 9 or the right headlamp 10, e.g., in the vicinity of theright-side headlamp 10, warning horns 12 and 13 are disposed inside amounting bracket 11 used to mount the headlamp 10, so as to lie next tothe headlamp 10, as shown in FIG. 1C. In this example, a plurality ofwarning horns 12 and 13 are mounted in order to generate an acousticallypleasant sound by varying the frequencies of the sounds generated by theindividual warning horns and/or to allow the use of more compact warninghorns by ensuring that the total sound pressure level of the sounds fromthe smaller warning horns 12 and 13 achieves a predetermined level.

By mounting the warning horns 12 and 13 in the vicinity of the headlamp10 as described above, the warning sound generated by the warning horns12 and 13 is not blocked by the front attachment 7 mounted at thecentral area and thus is propagated forward unhindered to improve thesafety. In addition, since a predetermined sound pressure level can beachieved along the forward direction relative to the revolvingsuperstructure 3 with greater ease even with more compact warning horns12 and 13, the warning horns 12 and 13 can be miniaturized. Since thewarning horns 12 and 13 are housed inside the bracket 11 for theheadlamp 10, the need for a case that would otherwise be required toprotect the warning horns 12 and 13 from the elements is eliminated inthe embodiment. Furthermore, while the warning horns 12 and 13 may bemounted in the vicinity of both the left headlamp 9 and the rightheadlamp 10, the wiring work is facilitated by disposing the pluralityof warning horns 12 and 13 in the vicinity of one of the headlamps,i.e., the front headlamp 10, since the secondary battery provided at therevolving superstructure 3 and the warning horns 12 and 13 are connectedthrough wiring contained on one side of the revolving superstructure 3.

FIGS. 2A to 2C show the construction machine achieved in anotherembodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively aside elevation and a front view of the construction machine, and FIG. 2Cis an enlargement of and the essential portion of FIG. 2B. Thisembodiment is achieved by adopting the present invention in a wheelloader having a vehicle body constituted with a front body 20 and a rearbody 21, with a hydraulic power unit 22, an operator's cab 23 and thelike mounted atop the rear body 21 and a front attachment 24 mounted atthe front of the front body 20 and projecting out forward. The frontattachment 24 includes an arm 27 mounted at a bracket 25 set upright atthe rear body 21 so as to be allowed to move up/down freely around a pin26 and an arm cylinder 29, which causes the arm 27 to move up/down,mounted between the arm 27 and the bracket 25. At the front end of thearm 27, a bucket 31 is mounted so as to be allowed to rotate freelyaround a pin 30.

A device that causes the bucket 31 to rotate comprises a bell crank 33,a central portion thereof mounted at the arm 27 so as to be allowed torotate freely around a pin 32, a bucket cylinder 34 mounted between theupper end of the bell crank 33 and the bracket 25 and a link 35 linkingthe lower end of the bell crank 33 with the bucket 31.

On the left side and the right side of the front body 20, mountingbrackets 39 and 40 used to mount headlamps 36 and 37 are mounted so thatthey project out respectively to the left and to the right at positionshigh enough to ensure that their front portions are not blocked by thebucket 31 when the construction machine assumes the traveling attitude,as shown in the figure. These brackets 39 and 40 are hollow, and warninghorns 41 and 42 are housed inside the left bracket 39.

The embodiment achieves advantages similar to those of the previousembodiment.

While the warning horns are housed inside a headlamp mounting bracket inboth of the embodiments explained above, they may be mounted outside thebracket in the vicinity of the headlamp instead of housing them in thebracket. In addition, only a single warning horn may be mounted on aside near either the left headlamp or the right headlamp. Furthermore,while two warning horns are housed inside the headlamp mounting bracketlocated on one side in the embodiment described above, the left headlampmounting bracket and the right headlamp mounting bracket may each housea warning horn instead. The present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above and may be adopted with outstandingeffectiveness in another type of construction machine that travels onroads.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention may be adopted in a construction machine such as ahydraulic excavator, a crane or a support machine thereof that iscapable of traveling and includes a warning horn which generates awarning sound in response to an operation by the operator.

1-3. (canceled)
 4. A construction machine characterized in that awarning horn is mounted in the vicinity of at least either a leftheadlamp or a right headlamp disposed on a left side and a right side ofa vehicle body of said construction machine.
 5. A construction machineaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said warning horn is housedinside a bracket used to mount said headlamp.
 6. A construction machineaccording to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of warning hornsare disposed on a side toward either said left headlamp or said rightheadlamp.
 7. A construction machine according to claim 1, characterizedin that a plurality of warning horns are housed inside a bracket used tomount either said left headlamp or said right headlamp.